Diving contrivance adapted for deep-sea diving



Dec. .4', 1928. 1,694,108

' J. G. STEIN DIVING CONTRIVANCE ADAPTED FOR DEEP SEA DIVING Filed July 7, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet I J. G. STEIN DIVING CONTRIVANGE ADAPTED FOR DEEP SEA DIVING Dec. 4, 1928.

Filed July 7, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J72 uerz 2501 QS-fel n Patented Dec. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DIVING con'rarviuvcn ADAPTED FOR near-sue DIVING.

Application filed July 7, i926, Serial No.

Diving bells which are attached to a cable or to a chain, and lowered from a steamer upon the bottom vof the sea are well known.v The range of action of diving bells of this I type is however very limited as they arecapable of working only directly underneath the l vessel from which they have been lowered so that the vessel must remain accurately above the pointat which the diving'bell is working,

this being of course very difficult. Another inconvenience is that the diving bells while being lowered are tossed about just as much as the vessel itself unless the latter is anchored from all sides, this being however not '15 possible in many cases.

It has been proposedto move. a sled-like contrivance, capable of holding a diver, over the sea-bottom from the vessel moving on the I 1 surface of the water. I Such an apparatus Q however could only operate in a very limited depth and at an enormous risk tot-he diver, since the vessel above could not stop quick enough vshould the sled strike against obstacles on the sea-bottom, such as a wreck, an

- anchor, rocks or the like which, on account of the limited range of sight under-water, would only be observedat the last moment.

Neither of the above mentioned contrivances enables the execution of diving expedition as neither areadapted for carrying compli cated tools and the like, nor'are they capable of carrying more than one man. I g

It has further been proposed to use an in dependent divin boat as accommodation for the divers. Such 'contrivance would present the inconvenience that it has to be of comparatively large size because it must contain a large engine-plant with a large accumulator plant for independent drive so that it could not be accommodated. on a comparatively small-size vessel. The diving boat would have to be propelled to the point of use by its own power so that, eventually, besides-the electric driving means, an internal combusti on. engine would become necessary whereby the size of the diving boat would be further increased. v

These disadvantages are obviated by the invention as, a submarine which, although constantly attached to the vessel on the surface of the water, has her own radiusof independent action and is capable of independent movement, and can be accommodated in a.

shaft of. the-main vessel and carried-to any point at which it has tobe used. 7 I

An embodiment of the invention is illus- 121,012, and in Germany March 20, 1925.

trated. the accompanying drawings in which 2-. i

1 shows inside elevation the main vessel carrying the submarine to, the place of destination. 1 I

Fig. 2is a cross section through thepoint of the main ship where the submarine 1s located, on enlarged scale. i v

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of Fig.2. Fi 4- illustrates on reduced scalethe. operation of the diving contrivance.

Fig. Sshowshow the submarine is hauled into, the main vessel, also on reduced scale.

6 shows in a partial longitudinal section certain portions of the submarine. Figure V buoy. I

, According to this invention a submarine l is used which. is permanently attached to a main ship 3- by a strong cable 2 and carries ,as an engine only an electromotor for driving one or several propellers 4. The submarine has all the apparatus commonly used for a submarine, as horizontal rudders 5, 6, vertical rudders 7, diving tanks, air tanks, trim tanks, air compressors and the like. 1 Special arrangements are made to prevent the cable 2, which attaches the submarine to the main ship, from getting entangled with the propellers or interfering with the several rudders. QYVith this object in view propellerprotectors or rudder-protectors of known type are provided. 1 v

A small size storage battery serves for emergency lighting and for drivingthe propeller for a short time in case the current supplied through thecable 2 should be interrupted. 1 In the mainsliip 3a shaft 8 is provided whichhas preferably inclined side walls 9 lined with wooden ribs 10. The front wall 11 and they rear wall 12 of the shaft are downwardly and outwardly inclined, the rear wall at an exceptionally large angle as shown at 12 in Fig; 1, for reasons which will be eX- plainedhereinafter. i

. The main vessel is further equipped with a powerfulsteam winch, on the drum 13 of which the cable 2 is wound up. Thecable might further be wound only a few-times around the winch drum the rest of, the cable cable is used for supplying to the submarine electric current for driving the propellers, the

' pump and other tools, the cable comprising is a detail of a cable supporting a being stored .iniahspecial cable tank. This also telephone wires which provide constant.

cpmmunication possibilities with the main 5 up.

The cable is conducted over a guide pulley 14 arranged in or above the shaft 8. The crown is preferably attached to the submarine by means of lugs 16. For certain special cases it may be advisable to make the connecting point 17 between cable and crown adjustable, i. e. so that it can be shifted on the crown. The walls of the shaft are protected by strong frames :20 braced againstthe frames and other building elements of the vessel, and

strong reinforcen'ients are provided at the compartments in the usual manner by means of transverse bulk heads, lenses and 26 being arranged in the forward frame, the

tion of the submarine can always be accucable.

lens 25 being designed to allow the li ht rays produced by a high-powered search dight to pass, and the other lenses 26 servin as observation holes. At the bow or at t e sides tools may be arranged which are adapted to be operated from inside the submarine. A manhole having a trap door 27 commonly used in diving boats serves as entrance. The measurements of the shaft 8 are chosen so that the upper portion of the submarine is above the water-line whenit is being transported by the main ship. 7

The contrivanoe operates asfollows The submarine is transported bythe main vessel in the shaft 8 to the place of destination. At this place the submarine is lowered by means of thecable 2 so that it iscapable of executin inde endent movements in the direction 0 the V eel in any corresponding direction, in order to locate for example first a wreck 28 resting on the bottom of the sea and then to carry out the necessary operations. V i

For carrying the weight of the cable buoys 29 may be attached to the cable when the Cable is being unwound, so that by their buoyancy they intercept a partof the weight of the These buoys will be hereinafter described.

The-submarine is provided with a circular compass which is connected by the cable to a compass on the main vessel so that the locarately determined on the main shi The diving of the submarine is acilitated by flooding certain compartments. The raisfexpeditions, but also. for filmin If the flooding tanks are completely emptied the submarine fits itself onto the inclined walls of the shaft 8 and can be lashed in this position that maging of the submarine can a d y the rolling and pitchi movements of the main vessel. i

A submarine of this type can beused, n ot only for operations on wrecks, for decp-sea depths and the like. With this iving'contrivance depths can bereached whichfhave never been reached by diving apparatus and all sorts of expeditions can be carried'out, to a certain extent independent from the anchor age or position of the mainship.

In a special form of construction of the invention the cable 2, which connects the submarine with the main ship, is not constructed fromend' to end as holdingand lifting cable but only a shortportionof the cable 2, which portion isattachedto the'submarine, the remainder of the cable being at great comparatively thin and just strong enough to carry its own weight and that of the thick portion and to Withstand the oscillations which mi itoccurin the cable. The thin Thebuoys 29 designed to carry the cable are preferably of oviformshape so that they reduce resistance. In order to withstand the water pressure at reatdepthsthey are inflated with air of high pressure. According v,to the depthfor 'whichthe several buoys are designed, the inner pressure is higher or lower. The inside. pressure of a. buoylfor about 2000 meters depth would amount to about 200 atm., and for 1500 meters depth to about 150 atm. Steel isused as material for the buoys. For inflating-the buoys with air a valve 80 is provided." Thecable 2 has shackles 32,.with rin are to be attached. 8 ackles 33 in the rings 31 earr each a roller 34 for guiding a cable 36 fixe to lugs 35 of the buoys. If the submarine and the main ship travel inthe direction indicated by the arrow F. the buoys adopt ap rrfximately the position shown in Fig. 7.

-c a1m:-- i i i 1. A contrivance for deep-sea diving very great depths comprising in combination portiono the cable serves merely-for acto which the buoys a main-vessel having in the interior a shaft open at the lower side and arranged to re ceive a submarine, a submarine adapted to be accommodated 1n the said shaft and an electric cable connecting the submarine to shaft of wedge shaped cross-section open at the lower side and having its longitudinal axis in the direction of the keel of the vessel, the front and rear walls being inclined to thekeel of the main-vessel and arranged to receive a submarine, a submarine adapted to be accommodated in the said shaft and an electric cable connecting the submarine to the main-vessel.

4. A contrivance for deep-sea diving at very greatdepths, comprising in combination a main-vessel, having in the interior a shaft of wedge-shaped cross section open at the lower side and having its longitudinal axisin the direction of the keel of the vessel, the front, and rear walls being inclinedto the keel of the main-vessel, the rear wall being more inclined than the front wall and arranged to receive a submarine, a submarine adapted to be-accommodated in the said shaft and an electric cable connecting the said submarine to the main vessel.

5. A, contrivance for deep-sea diving at very great depths, comprising in combination a main-vessel having in the interior a shaft of wedge-shaped cross section open at the lower side and'having its longitudinal axis in the direction of the keel of the vessel, ar- 1 ranged to receive a submarine, a submarine bearing with. the side walls against the side walls of the shaft and an electric cable connecting the submarine to the main-vessel.

6. A contrivance for deep-sea diving at cry great depths, comprising in combination a main vessel having in the interior a shaft open at the lower side, arranged to receive a submarine, a submarine adapted to be accommodated in the said shaft and anelectric cable connecting the submarine to the mainvessel. and supplying the driving means of the submarine.

7. A contrivance for deep-sea diving at i 'JOHANN-GEORG STEIN. 

